IgG Food Allergy Test w/ Candida
IgG (immunoglobulin G) testing is a useful guide for structuring elimination diets in many chronic conditions. Individuals with neurological, gastrointestinal, and movement disorders often suffer from IgG food allergies. These people may continue to eat offending foods unaware of their potential effects. As immunological reactions, IgE food allergy causes the release of histamine, producing an immediate hypersensitivity reaction, in which symptoms appear within minutes or hours. In contrast, food sensitivity is a non-IgE allergy characterized by the measurement of IgG antibodies specific to antigenic food proteins. This IgG food allergy is a delayed hypersensitivity reaction in which symptoms appear anywhere from hours to days after eating the offending food. The 93 foods tested in the IgG Food Allergy Test w/ Candida can identify problem food so it can be eliminated from the patient’s diet. Elimination of IgG positive foods can improve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, autism, AD(H)D, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and epilepsy according to numerous clinical studies.
The Great Plains Laboratory, Inc. has added Candida to the IgG Food Allergy Test. Candidaproblems are caused when the benign yeast form of Candida albicans mutates to its fungal form.Candida can take over sections of the intestinal wall causing numerous symptoms. As it grows out of balance it produces toxins that create holes in the intestinal lining, leading to leaky gut syndrome. After entering the blood, Candida albicans causes an inflammatory immune system response. A wide range of disorders have been linked to Candida including autism, multiple sclerosis, depression, and chronic fatigue. Use of antibiotics, oral contraceptives, chemotherapy, and anti-inflammatory steroids greatly increase susceptibility to Candida.
Dried Blood Spot (DBS) Collection
The IgG Food Allergy Test w/ Candida is available as a dried blood spot collection for patients and practitioners who can’t perform a blood draw. The specimen can be collected from the convenience of home and shipped to our laboratory for analysis. The dried blood spot test is the same price as the analysis.
Asian Food Allergy Test
The IgG Asian Food Allergy Test offered by The Great Plains Laboratory is designed for individuals who consume foods common to the Asian diet, especially those in China, Japan, and Korea. Analytes include mango, sunflower seeds, miso (soybean paste), and green tea. Some of the vegetables in our general IgG Food Allergy Test have been replaced by more common Asian vegetables, such as the Shiitake mushroom, and a new food category, “spices,” has been included. The new panel also analyzes twice as many seafood items than our general test, ranging from oysters and clams to Pacific saury. The IgG Asian Food Allergy Test is a good health indicator for people who commonly eat Asian cuisine and gives a comprehensive analysis of immunological reactions to foods found in this diet.
Candida albicans Scale in IgG Food Allergy Test
The Candida albicans scale has been updated to account for the observation that Candida-specific immunoglobulins are present in the specimens of virtually all individuals tested. The new scale is intended to provide a clearer indication of clinical significance and was established according to population percentile ranks obtained from a random subset of 1,000 patients. Specifically, the range of insignificant and low IgG values correspond to the first and second quartiles of the distribution, while moderate values denote individuals in the 51st to 97.5th percentiles. Those with an IgG value greater than the 97.5th percentile are considered to have a high concentration of Candida-specific immunoglobulins.
The Benefits of Testing
- Helps determine if food reactions are contributing to physical or mental symptoms
- Removal of highly reactive foods from the diet is a non-invasive, food-based therapy that often mitigates a patient's symptoms
- Research and clinical studies suggest food allergies identified by IgG testing can be a major contributing factor in many chronic health conditions
- Food rotation and elimination diets can reduce stress on the immune system, lower gut inflammation, resolve food cravings, and reduce the potential for eating disorders
